Jack Daniel's: JACK ON TOUR

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Branded Content

Advertiser: BROWN FORMAN

Product/Service: JACK DANIEL’S

Date of First Appearance: Oct 10 2010

Entrant Company: UM, Milan, ITALY

Entry URL: http://www.jackontour.it

Marketing Communication Manager: Barbara Pinna (BROWN FORMAN)

Chief Executive Officer: Gianfranco Piccolo

Client Service Director: Simona Bohman

Client Service Manager: Claudio Di Rocco

Sales & Marketing Manager: Emanuele Finardi (ZODIAC ACTIVE)

Vice President: Matteo Scortegagna (ZODIAC ACTIVE)

Consultant: Paolo Bocchi

Media placement: Online - Deejay.it - 10/10/2010

Media placement: Radio - Radio Deejay - 10/10/2010

Media placement: TV - Deejay TV - 18/11/2010



Insights, Strategy & the Idea



JACK DANIEL’S, the legendary American bourbon, had spent a year using promotional campaigns to chase sales in Italy. While sales rose, the strategy led to a decline in brand indicators, with falling brand preference and loyalty figures.



To counteract this, brand owner Brown Forman briefed UM to re-engage the target audience and create a stronger link with the brand.



The core JACK DANIEL’S target in Italy is 25-34 year old men who tend to enjoy the brand in out-of-home environments. We analysed their behaviour and attitudes to identify the most powerful engagement platform. Our solution was a multimedia rock music experience that would create advocacy and positive sentiment, with its message amplified through partnership with key Italian music and media partners.



Our campaign combined two key elements:



- JACK DANIEL’S famous rock music links.



- New Italian legislation allowing product placement and branded content on TV for the first time.



Creative Execution

‘Jack on Tour’ made history as Italy’s first branded content TV experience rooted in rock music. Leveraging the brand’s twin heritage as the flavour of America and the flavour of rock, the campaign centred on an American rock tour broadcast on Italy’s top music channel, DeeJay TV.



To front the tour, JACK DANIEL’S signed Negrita, the leading Italian exponents of classic American rock. Negrita’s US odyssey encompassed all key rock genres, from Californian surf/psychedelic to New York intellectual.



The campaign had two-stages. During filming, anticipation was created through:



- 60 second live ‘mini-programmes’, featuring interviews with Negrita, on DeeJay TV’s sister radio station.



- A customised website, including Negrita’s live blog.



The second stage featured the broadcasts themselves: six “rockumentaries” on DeeJay TV capturing the music Negrita played and the characters they met. The broadcasts were supported with:



- A customised website offering exclusive advance content.



- Promos on Radio DeeJay.



Results and Effectiveness

The campaign rocked!

After ‘Jack on Tour’, sales of JACK DANIEL’S rose by 6% - in a declining market.

Post-campaign surveys tracked both awareness and engagement levels. In the core 25-34 year old male target:



- 53% were aware of the campaign

- 58% of those who specifically recalled the tour “liked it very much”

- 53% felt it was “very consistent” with JACK DANIEL’S brand personality



The campaign generated 3 million impressions on the JACK DANIEL’S home page, and 42,000 fans joined Facebook’s ‘Jack on Tour’ page.